| Contents
/ Sept. - Issue #26 |
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Partner
Spotlight |
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Inspiring, soulful films about family &
more
Spiritual
Cinema Circle presents A Relative Thing,
an evocative and universal feature film about the changes
in family that are triggered by love, death, rivalry,
hardship, and laughter. If you enjoyed The
Big Chill, you'll love this film. It comes
with three short films, including Lucky
Boy, a touching story that follows the
exploration of a college student searching for his birth
mother. If you click
here before September 12, you can get all four of
these films for free (you just pay a nominal shipping
fee).
Please visit spiritualcinemacircle.com
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Event
Spotlight |
3rd
Annual International Conference on "Engaging the Other:
The Power of Compassion"
September 4-7, 2008
San Mateo, California
with Marianne Williamson, Dennis
Kucinich, Don Beck, Corinne McLaughlin, James O'Dea,
Stanley Krippner, Sharif Abdullah, and more
An international, multi-cultural, multi-disciplinary
conference examining concepts of "the other"
from a universal, cross-cultural perspective to promote
wider public dialogue about concepts of "us and
them."
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IONS
Campus and Retreat Center Events
Petaluma, California |
Skan-Reichian
Therapy - Exploring the Body of Emotions
September 5-7,
2008
Skan Therapy is based on the work of Wilhelm Reich.
Skan can be defined as a process of re-establishing
the unobstructed flow of the body's own life energy.
This can be felt whole bodily as a sensation of
"streaming" and pleasure, and emotionally as love,
enjoyment, and happiness.
Regression
Therapy Intensive Training, Level I
September 15-20,
2008
Barbara Kauffman is a prominent board-certified
regression therapist, educator, lecturer, and researcher
with over fifteen years of experience in the field
of past-life regression.
Creative
Memories Scrapbooking Weekend with Felicia Schonborn-Young
September 19-21,
2008
March 20-22, 2009
Celebrate and preserve your memories into treasured
keepsakes--your life, your story, your way. Felicia
will show you how with top quality photo albums
and organizing products.
Metzner
Alchemical Divination Training, with Ralph Metzner
September 21-26, 2008
February 1-6, 2009
The Metzner Alchemical Divination® training is offered
in three 5-day modular workshops that can be taken
in any sequence. In these workshops, participants
will experience the divinations for themselves as
well as light-fire purifying energy meditations
(Agni Yoga). Participants will practice guiding
others with them in dyads and small groups.
Spiritual
Activism: Compassion in Action with Andrew Harvey
September
26-28, 2008 - The Realm of the Heart
December
12-14 , 2008 - The Pathways of the Intellect
February
6-8, 2009 - The Wisdom of the Body
"A spirituality that is only private and
self-absorbed, one devoid of an authentic political
and social consciousness, does little to halt the
suicidal juggernaut of history. On the other hand,
an activism that is not purified by profound spiritual
and psychological self-awareness and rooted in divine
truth, wisdom, and compassion will only perpetuate
the problem it is trying to solve, however righteous
its intentions. When, however, the deepest and most
grounded spiritual vision is married to a practical
and pragmatic drive to transform all existing political,
economic and social institutions, a holy force--the
power of wisdom and love in action--is born. This
force I define as Sacred Activism." Andrew Harvey
Making
Money Make Change
October 2-5, 2008
A national gathering for young progressive people
with wealth, creating space to support and challenge
one another to use their financial and other resources
to contribute to change and to join fully in movements
of social justice.
Peter
Russell
October 16, 2008
Potluck dinner followed by a meeting with visionary
scientist Peter Russell, who has just released an
updated, tenth anniversary re-release of his award-winning
1998 bestseller Waking Up In Time: Finding Inner
Peace in Times of Accelerating Change. This
book was considered a classic manifesto for awakening
to the planetary crisis--and much of it was prophetic
as to what has actually come to pass in the last
decade. A Friendly Favors event--registration required.
Meditation
Specialist™ Certification
October 18-20, 2008
March 11-14, 2009
June 4-7, 2009
October 19-22, 2009
This four-part course for healthcare professionals
provides in-depth training in the theory, science,
and practice of meditation therapy with a focus
on the use of meditation as a true healing science.
Foundation
for Shamanic Studies (Journeywork)
October 26-31, 2008 (part
1 of a three-year series)
Originated by Dr. Michael Harner, this course is
the most advanced training in shamanism and shamanic
healing offered by the Foundation for Shamanic Healing
and generally is considered unparalleled in the
world. It involves intensive extended training in
progressively higher levels of very advanced shamanism,
including initiations into rare and little-known
practices and principles.
Rejuvenate
Your Practice Intensive
November
13-16, 2008
Learn how to build your successful Holistic or Coaching
Practice using heart-based strategies so you can
help more people and make more money than you ever
thought was possible.
Gathering
in Gratefulness
February 20-22, 2009
This weekend--led by Br. David Steindl-Rast,
Roshi Joan Halifax, and Tessa Bielecki--will allow
you to explore the practice of grateful living--the
ethics behind a sustainable global community--and
will give you an opportunity to learn about A Network
for Grateful Living (ANG*L). ANG*L's labor of love
touches lives in more than 240 countries.
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Special
Events |
3rd
Annual International Conference on "Engaging the
Other: The Power of Compassion"
September 4-7, 2008
San Mateo, California
with Marianne Williamson,
Dennis Kucinich, Don Beck, Corinne McLaughlin, James
O'Dea, Stanley Krippner, Sharif Abdullah, and more
An international, multi-cultural, multi-disciplinary
conference examining concepts of "the other"
from a universal, cross-cultural perspective to
promote wider public dialogue about concepts of
"us and them."
The
Power of Practice: An Integral Approach to Realizing
Your Fullest Potential
September 19-21,
2008
Mercer Island and Kenmore, Washington
Enhance the quality of your life through Integral
Transformative Practice (ITP), created by George
Leonard and Michael Murphy of Esalen Institute.
This workshop, led by senior ITP teachers Barry
Robbins and Pam Kramer, offers the direct experience
of Integral Transformative Practice, involving movement,
meditation, and mind/body practices to create a
long-term, daily practice for increased vitality,
fulfillment, and joy.
Living
Deeply: Transformation and Healing in Everyday Life
September
13
San Francisco, California
with Marilyn
Schlitz, Cassandra Vieten, & Tina Amorok
Opportunities to actively engage in your own transformation
and that of our world are woven into the fabric
of everyday life. Learning more about the terrain
of consciousness transformation at this special
workshop.
Living
Deeply Presentation, Book Signing, and Workshop
September
19-20
Ashland, Oregon
with Marilyn
Schlitz & Cassandra Vieten
In the workshop, which blends the rigors of science
with the deep wisdom of the world's spiritual traditions,
participants will learn through the pathways of
rigorous inquiry, group dialog, and direct experience
about the kinds of transformations in consciousness
that dramatically and permanently change a person's
worldview to one that is more loving, kind, compassionate,
and connected to others.
Living
Deeply: Transformation and Healing in Everyday Life
October 3-5, 2008
Big Sur, California
with Marilyn Schlitz &
Cassandra Vieten
No matter who you are, where you come from, or what
your current path is--whether you seek to transform
your life completely or simply make adjustments
that will add a layer of richness and depth to your
life--exploring the many ways that transformation
is stimulated and sustained can hold great power.
Weaving together cutting-edge science with wisdom
from teachers of the world's transformative traditions,
this workshop explores what we have learned about
how people experience deep shifts in their consciousness,
and how those shifts can lead to healing and wholeness.
Living
Deeply Signature Education Workshop
October 29-30, 2008
Vancouver, British Columbia
with Marilyn Schlitz &
Cassandra Vieten
On Oct. 29, Dr. Marilyn Schlitz offers an interactive
presentation based on the book, Living Deeply,
followed by a book signing. On Oct. 30 both presenters
facilitate the Living Deeply workshop through dialogue
and direct experiences.
2012
Conference San Francisco: Shift by the Bay
October 31-November 2, 2008
San Francisco, California
with
James O'Dea, Daniel Pinchbeck, and more
2
Day Conference on leadership towards 2012, the coming
shift of the ages, bringing together national leading
authors and scholars.
Expert
Presentations Think-tank insight Sessions Maya,
Q'uero and Vedic Sacred Ceremonies
Film Premieres and cosmic music
From now through Sept. 30th IONS community can take
advantage and save $75 on the price of registration
when they sign up for 2012 Conference. CODE: IONS
IONS
Community "Consciousness Cruise"
November 15-20, 2008
San Diego, California
Travel the Mexican Riviera from San Diego,
Cabo San Lucas, to Ensenada & back. Enjoy five
delightful days of relaxation, stimulation, sea,
fun, meeting kindred spirits, building lifelong
friendships, and enjoying great food and spectacular
beauty...all for only $79 a day!
Journey
to South India with IONS
January 28-February 15, 2009
South India
Join IONS and guide Shantum Seth on a journey
to the ancient land of India at this time of global
shift and transformation. This is a special opportunity
for Circle members ($1,000
and above annual membership level).
Space
Shuttle Launch Trip with Edgar Mitchell
February 11-14, 2009
Cape Canaveral, Florida
Visit the Kennedy Space Center in Orlando,
Florida, to witness the launch of Shuttle Discovery
with IONS Founder and Apollo 14 astronaut
Edgar Mitchell. The invitation to join this trip
is a benefit for IONS Founder's Circle members ($10,000
and above annual membership level).
The
Institute of Noetic Sciences 13th International
Conference
Toward
a Global Shift: Seeding the Field of Collective
Change
June 17-21, 2009
Tucson, Arizona
Save the date!
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Products
Spotlight |
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VISIT
THE BLEEPSTORE Information • Community •
Networking
At
Bleepstore.com
you can find inspiring, enlightening, and intriguing
books, music, videos and more. PLUS there are monthly
articles online about the latest in
Consciousness
studies • Science • Green living •
Alternative health • Conscious parenting
There
are also articles and book and movie reviews from The
Bleeping Herald as well as The
Global Intelligencer.
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Media
Spotlight |
The
2008 Shift Report: Changing the Story of Our Future
You
can get a PDF
or hard
copy of this year's Shift Report
at the Bleepstore.
About
the Report
Over the past several decades, new scientific discoveries
along with a surge in grassroots initiatives addressing
social and economic injustices have begun calling into
question the view of the universe-and essentially of
ourselves-as ultimately cold and mechanistic. Revealing
both the mysterious directionality of the evolving cosmos
and the irrepressible humanity within our own natures,
new evidence is emerging that we are innately capable
of far more than we realize. Yes, the evidence is compelling
that the arc of the human species is on a self-destructive
decline, and yet once the pieces are put together, there
is no denying that another reality is fighting through
the cracks of the dominant narrative. We are just beginning
to tap into our potential as human beings despite, or
perhaps because of, the multiple crises that we are
facing.
For
a discount on 10 or more copies, contact Tiffany at
tmitchell@noetic.org.
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| From the Editor |
|   Vesela
Simic / Here
in the States, September always greets us with Labor
Day, the symbolic close to summer, and throughout much
of the world, September reliably ushers millions of
students and teachers back to their studies. Time to
let go of summer fun and to settle in and get serious
about our work again. IONS members will find that this
month also brings them their fall issue of Shift
magazine, an issue that invites readers to begin to
explore "art, science, and consciousness."
It's
always a challenge to narrow down any of the rich subjects
Shift examines to a handful of magazine articles.
As we went about identifying and researching perspectives
for this issue, I found it especially difficult at the
start to get a foothold on what we were covering. Art
and consciousness--that relationship was familiar. Science
and consciousness--even that was clear. But the relationship
between art and science to the study of consciousness,
that seemed to suggest mutually exclusive schools of
investigation. What I learned as we cast about for article
possibilities, however, is that this division is as
false and ultimately unproductive as the apparent divide
between spirituality and science. All knowledge is derived
from common ground, "the same database," as
psychologist Jeanne Achterberg puts it. IONS has recognized
the necessity and value of a multidisciplinary approach
to consciousness studies from its inception. A holistic
perspective is fundamental. And art and science have
everything to gain from their marriage, as Shift
contributor Jonah Lehrer effectively points out in this
fall's issue.
This
issue of iShift is sprinkled with items that
invite you to consider the connections between the arts,
the sciences, and consciousness studies. At some point
in our education, many of us found ourselves focusing
on some aspect of the one and not the other. May this
new season of learning find you venturing into a field
of study that you once considered outside your understanding,
seemingly disconnected from your specialty--and may
you discover the relationship between them to be as
natural and organic as it is revelatory.
Ever
learning, we deepen our experiences and appreciation
for life. As part of its Living
Deeply campaign, IONS continues to offer a
$1 trial membership in our dynamic Shift in Action
program. Upon joining, you'll receive the book, Living
Deeply: The Art and Science of Transformation in Everyday
Life written by IONS researchers Marilyn Schlitz,
Cassandra Vieten, and Tina Amorok; a Living Deeply
practice CD with audio from 11 transformational leaders
in wisdom traditions from around the world; the acclaimed
2008 Shift Report; and all the offerings Shift
in Action members enjoy, including weekly live
teleseminars and one of the largest archives of downloadable
audio content on the Web. To join, or to invite a friend
to join, click
here. Also, please see the Living
Deeply section of this issue for details on the
upcoming Living Deeply workshops in San Francisco,
Ashland, and Vancouver.
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| The
Edge |
|  Is
literature necessary? What is its evolutionary function?
Recent
studies suggest that reading fiction enhances our social
skills and capacities for empathy and personality change.
After assessing how much fiction participants in one
study routinely read, investigators Maja Djikic, Raymond
Mar, and Keith Oatley, of the University of Toronto
in Canada, asked them to take a "mind-in-the-eyes test,"
which measures empathy and social acumen. Fiction readers
showed substantially greater empathy and interpersonal
perception in the test than non-fiction readers did.
"I liken fiction to a simulation that runs on the software
of our minds," says investigative psychologist Keith
Oatley. "Just as computer simulations can help us get
to grips with complex problems such as flying a plane
or forecasting the weather, so novels, stories, and
dramas can help us understand the complexities of social
life." See the Journal of Research in Personality
40.5 and the Creativity Research Journal 20.4.
You'll find the mind-in-the-eyes test here.
 More
than reading is at stake.
"Reading at Risk," a 2004 survey of literary
reading in America funded by the National Endowment
for the Arts, reports that "literary reading in America
is not only declining among all age groups, but the
rate of decline has accelerated among the young." The
survey covers most major demographic groups, providing
statistical measurements by age, gender, education,
income, region, race, and ethnicity. The report also
demonstrates that readers play a more active role in
their communities and thereby argues that the survey
"foreshadows an erosion in cultural and civic participation."
(learn
more)
An
economics of vengeance?
Some economists have turned their attention
to vengeance and are attempting to measure it in the
real world. Naci H. Mocan, an economist at Louisiana
State University, gathered information on 89,000 people
in 53 countries to draw a map of vengefulness. He found
that among the most vengeful are women, older people,
the poor, and residents of high-crime areas. Most of
Mocan's findings confirm what researchers in different
disciplines have already found: "that vengeful feelings
are strong in countries with low levels of income and
education, a weak rule of law, and those who recently
experienced a war or are ethnically or linguistically
fragmented." (learn
more)
Reminder:
September 21 is International Peace Day!
 Evolution,
Addiction, and Economic Demand
Those of you who enjoyed the popular article
"Peak
Oil--Believe It Or Not?" from iShift
#25 will also enjoy this radio interview with the article's
author, Nate Hagens. Appearing on The Reality Report
(KZYX&Z, Mendocino County, California), Nate discusses
evolution, addiction, and economic demand--or how our
brains trick us into wanting more than we need. (listen
now)
 ITP
Seeks Applicants
The Institute of Transpersonal Psychology invites
applicants for full-time and half-time core faculty
clinical psychology positions. (details)
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| Affiliate
Spotlight |
|
 Economic
Wisdom for Uncertain Times
Catherine Austin Fitts
has a new two-part audioseminar CD called "Positioning
Your Assets for Growth in Uncertain Times" ($60
plus shipping, or $50 for an MP3). It explains how to
protect and grow your financial assets in a way that
not only cares for you and your family but also transforms
our communities and networks.
IONS
is partnering with Catherine on this and other Solari.com
products. Simply go to the Solari store (www.solari.com/store),
make your selection, and enter the code E1/NOE
in the Comments Box on the sales form when you order.
You can also mention this offer if calling in your order:
1-800-695-2241 (U.S.); 001-931-964-2241 (International).
(seminar
description and audio clip) (Shift
in Action teleseminar with Catherine Austin Fitts)
 Earth
Cinema Circle
With actor Ed Begley Jr. as its spokesperson,
the Earth Cinema Circle (ECC) is the only DVD film club
exclusively devoted to expanding environmental consciousness
and is doing so in a way that entertains, informs, and
sometimes inspires. Recent films have ranged from a
26-minute lesson in eco-literacy by David Suzuki to
the life-cycle of to-go coffee cups and why corn truly
is "king." IONS has partnered with ECC to
help educate people about the need for global environmental
sustainability. By joining the
club you help both the Institute and the people
who are making these much-needed films. (website)
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Media |
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Film
 Crazy
Sexy Cancer. In 2003, actress-photographer
Kris Carr was diagnosed with a rare and incurable
cancer. Weeks later she began filming her story.
With experimental treatment as her only option,
Kris became determined to find answers where there
were none. She traveled throughout the country
interviewing experts in alternative medicine as
she tenaciously dove head first into a fascinating
and often hilarious holistic world. Along the
way, she met other vivacious young women determined
to become survivors. Their stories are as poignant
and exciting as the women who tell them. As Kris's
amazing journey unfolds, she realizes that healing
is about truly living rather than fighting. Winner
of the 2008 Gaia Documentary Award, Crazy
Sexy Cancer is available on DVD and can be
found at www.crazysexycancer.com.
 Project
Kashmir. From directors Senain
Kheshgi and Geeta Patel comes the story of these
two American friends from opposite sides of the
divide who investigate the war in Kashmir. They
discover that their friendship will be tested
over deeply rooted religious, political, and cultural
biases that they never had to face in the United
States. Beautifully filmed by Academy Award winner
Ross Kauffman, the movie captures the stunning
beauty of Kashmir and expertly weaves deeply moving
personal stories of Kashmiris with those of the
two American women who strive to reconcile their
ethnic and religious heritages with the violence
that haunts their homeland. Project Kashmir
opened to sold-out theaters this June at the Human
Rights Watch International Film Festival at Lincoln
Center in New York. Project Kashmir is
available on DVD; contact Sarah Masters, Hartley
Film Foundation Managing Director, at masters@hartleyfoundation.org
or visit www.hartleyfoundation.org.
 Dalai
Lama Renaissance. At the
cusp of the new millennium, forty visionaries
and innovative thinkers left the United States
with high expectations of changing the world.
They set off for India to meet with His Holiness
the Dalai Lama at his residence at the mystical
foothills of the Himalayas to discuss the world's
problems and solutions. What transpired was unexpected
and powerful. The Wakan Foundation for the Arts
took its 18-person film crew to India and shot
more than 140 hours of video footage during the
weeklong meeting. The result, a feature-length
documentary narrated by actor Harrison Ford, has
been receiving numerous film festival awards and
is now being widely released and distributed.
(learn
more)
Books
 Proust
Was a Neuroscientist by Jonah Lehrer.
With impressively clear prose, Lehrer explores
the overlooked places in literary history where
novelists, poets, and the occasional cookbook
writer predicted scientific breakthroughs with
their artistic insights. The 25-year-old Columbia
graduate, Rhodes scholar, and editor-at-large
of SEED magazine draws from his diverse
background in neuroscience lab work, science writing,
and fine cuisine to explain how Cézanne anticipated
breakthroughs in the understanding of human sight,
how Walt Whitman intuited the biological basis
of thoughts and, in the title essay, how Proust
penetrated the mysteries of memory by immersing
himself in childhood recollections. (buy)
 Improv
Wisdom: Don't Prepare, Just Show Up by Patricia
Ryan Madson. Senior Lecturer Emerita
and longtime member of the drama faculty at Stanford
University, Madson is now a teacher-at-large in
places such as Esalen Institute, and she is sure
to jumpstart your creativity--and possibly transform
your life. In Improv Wisdom, she offers
13 maxims to guide the fledgling improviser. "Say
yes" with the ecstasy of Molly Bloom: It will
open up new worlds. "Don't prepare":
In focusing on the future, you might miss the
present. "Start anywhere": Take any
entry into a problem, and once you get inside
you'll have a better perspective. Madson's fans
include a host of wise luminaries in their own
right, and all agree that "to practice the basic
rules of improvisational theater is to walk a
path toward a spiritually satisfying life." (buy)
(Shift
in Action teleseminar with Patricia Ryan
Madson)
 Artscience:
Creativity in the Post-Google Generation
by David Edwards. This book is an attempt
to show how innovation is often catalyzed by those
who cross the conventional line drawn between
the arts and the sciences. A biomedical engineering
professor at Harvard, Edwards describes how contemporary
creators achieve breakthroughs in the arts and
sciences by developing their ideas in an intermediate
zone of human creativity where neither art nor
science is easily defined. Through analysis of
original stories of what Edwards calls "artscience"
innovation in France, Germany, and the United
States, he argues for the development of a new
cultural and educational environment in which
artists and scientists team up with cultural,
industrial, social, and educational partners.
(buy)
 Art
and Intimacy: How the Arts Began by Ellen
Dissanayake. An independent scholar
affiliated with the University of Washington,
Dissanayake's books are considered classics among
Darwinian theorists and art historians. In Art
and Intimacy she digs deeply into the beginnings
of artistic expression and the myriad forms that
have been created by human beings, suggesting
that the expression of art reflects an inborn
capacity and need for mutuality, belonging, finding
and making meaning, and acquiring competency through
handling and making. (buy)
Audio
 Cosmix
by
Ram Dass and Kriece. With the
release of Cosmix, the past and the present
become one through music. Greatly recovered from
the massive stroke he suffered in 1997, Ram Dass
accepted down-under DJ Kriece's invitation to
select key dialogue from his broad range of lectures
to mix and share with a younger generation. Cosmix
merges timeless wisdom with modern sounds, chants,
and world instruments. (buy)
 Miles
from India by various artists.
In an original recreation of music from jazz legend
Miles Davis, producer-archivist Bob Belden and
coarranger and celebrated keyboardist of India
Louiz Banks have recast landmark Davis recordings
in an East-meets-West sensibility. Recorded in
Mumbai and Madras, India, and New York, Chicago,
and Los Angeles, the music was performed by classical
and jazz musicians from India and musicians who
recorded or performed with Davis throughout his
career--among them, Ron Carter, Jimmy Cobb, Chick
Corea, and John McLaughlin. (buy)
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Top
Ten |
Simon
Dedeo's Nine "Physical Theories as Women." Maybe
there's a woman out there who inspires you to
add a tenth theory of your own!
0. Newtonian gravity is your high-school girlfriend.
As your first encounter with physics, she's amazing.
You will never forget Newtonian gravity, even
if you're not in touch very much anymore.
1.
Electrodynamics is your college girlfriend. Pretty
complex, you probably won't date long enough to
really understand her.
2.
Special relativity is the girl you meet at the
dorm party while you're dating electrodynamics.
You make out. It's not really cheating because
it's not like you call her back. But you have
a sneaking suspicion she knows electrodynamics
and told her everything.
3.
Quantum mechanics is the girl you meet at the
poetry reading. Everyone thinks she's really interesting
and people you don't know are obsessed about her.
You go out. It turns out that she's pretty complicated
and has some issues. Later, after you've broken
up, you wonder if her aura of mystery is actually
just confusion.
4.
General relativity is your high-school girlfriend
all grown up. Man, she is amazing. You sort of
regret not keeping in touch. She hates quantum
mechanics for obscure reasons.
5.
Quantum field theory is from overseas, but she
doesn't really have an accent. You fall deeply
in love, but she treats you horribly. You are
pretty sure she's fooling around with half of
your friends, but you don't care. You know it
will end badly.
6.
Cosmology is the girl that doesn't really date,
but has lots of hot friends. Some people date
cosmology just to hang out with her friends.
7.
Analytical classical mechanics is a bit older,
and knows stuff you don't.
8.
String theory is off in her own little world.
She is either profound or insane. If you start
dating, you never see your friends anymore. It's
just string theory, 24/7.
This
list was found on www.mcsweeneys.net,
which recently received the national Webby Award
for Best Writing. McSweeney's Internet Tendency
is the scrappy internet arm of McSweeney's,
a literary journal edited by author Dave Eggers.
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Shift
in Action / Live Teleseminars |
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Our
weekly LIVE teleseminar series, now on both Tuesdays
and Wednesdays. All Tuesday teleseminars are in
the Living Deeply series, which features
spiritual leaders and practical visionaries who
share their practices for living a deeper, more
fulfilling life.
This
month's schedule of live calls:
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Tuesday,
September 2nd at 11am Pacific - Marilyn
Schlitz with Van Jones on
"The Green-Collar Economy"
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Wednesday,
September 3rd at 5pm Pacific - Stephen
Dinan with Brian Robertson
on "Holacracy"
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Tuesday,
September 9th at 11am Pacific - Cassandra Vieten with Paul
Ekman on "Emotional Awareness"
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Wednesday,
September
10th at
5pm Pacific - Cassandra Vieten with
Bill Plotkin on "Nature
and the Human Soul"
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Tuesday,
September 16th at 11am Pacific - Tina Amorok with Morty
Lefkoe on "Everyone Knows you
Can’t Eliminate Beliefs Permanently ... Are
you Sure?"
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Wednesday,
September
17th at
5pm Pacific - Marilyn Schlitz with
Ilene Serlin on "Whole
Person Healthcare"
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Tuesday,
September
23rd at
11am Pacific - Angela Murphy with Vlad
Cardema on "From Pointing Guns
to Pointing Didgeridoos"
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Wednesday,
September
24th at
5pm Pacific - Belvie Rooks with Erich
Jarvis
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Tuesday,
September
30th at
5pm Pacific - Community dialogue with
IONS Vice President Marilyn Schlitz
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Join
Shift in Action today to participate
in these calls! |
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Shift
in Action / Recent Releases |
|
 Free
samples from the Shift in Action program
Join
Shift in Action today! |
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Shift
Magazine |
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 Here
is a sneak
preview of our upcoming Shift
#20, entitled "Art,
Science, and Consciousness."
If you join IONS today, you can still receive
this fascinating issue! (Join
now)
Table
of Contents
WHY SCIENCE NEEDS ART
by Jonah Lehrer
The more we know about reality--its quantum
mechanics and neural origins--the more palpable
its paradoxes become. The author of Proust
Was a Neuroscientist believes that by interpreting
scientific ideas and theories, the arts offer
science a new lens through which to see itself
while furthering our inquiry into the nature of
consciousness.
POETIC
MEDICINE: A KIND OF MAGIC
by John Fox
Western medicine's zealous preoccupation
with technology, prescription drugs, and financial
return has taken much of the healing out of health
care. Citing new research and his own experience
with patients, poetry therapist John Fox offers
another path; he shows how the reading, hearing,
and writing of poems can be a healing catalyst
and transform people at profound levels.
ON
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF ARCHITECTURE
by Alain de Botton
In this lyrical excerpt from his recent
book, The Architecture of Happiness, Botton
examines the ways that architecture speaks to
us. By embodying ennobling values, built spaces
can evoke associations that put us in touch with
our true selves and influence how we conduct our
lives. "Taking architecture seriously,"
he writes, "requires that we open ourselves
to the idea that we are affected by our surroundings."
VISIONS
FROM THE TECHNO-MYSTIC EDGE
by Kate McCallum
Writer, producer, and "transmedia"
consultant McCallum surveys the mind-blowing intersection
of brain science, digital technology, and the
visual arts. From fractal biofeedback software
to virtual reality immersions, media makers today
are crossing a threshold of creative expression
as they explore new ways to engage human beings
at deeper levels.
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GreenShifting |
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Getting Personal About Climate
Change
"Our outer environment can only begin to be healed
by our inner, and I'm not sure we can ever truly
tend to our polluted waters, our shrinking forests,
the madness we've loosed on the air until we begin
to try to clean up the inner waters, and attend
to the embattled wild spaces within us," writes
Pico Iyer. His essay, "The Inner Climate," is
part of a collection in which six authors describe
how climate change is affecting them personally.
You'll find the essays in the September-October
2008 issue of Orion magazine.
 Managed
Grazing
Goats and grazing animals have been used for countless
years as land management tools and are a popular
alternative to the land management conventions
of mowing, disking, and burning. Managed grazing
takes into account multiple levels of ecology
and environment, including vegetation types, soil
types, watershed functions, plant recovery mechanisms,
nutrient flow, and energy cycling. IONS is welcoming
250 goats and sheep on campus as part of a managed
grazing program implemented by San Francisco-based
Living Systems Land Management. (Living
Systems website)
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Living
Deeply |
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Our
Year of Living Deeply continues with the launch
of our new Signature Education workshops:
 Living
Deeply: The Art and Science of Transformation
in Everyday Life
- CIIS,
San Francisco, California: September 13 (more)
- Ashland,
Oregon: September 19-20 (more)
- Esalen
Institute, Big Sur, California: October 3-5
(more)
- UBC
Downtown, Vancouver, British Columbia: October
29-30 (more)
- Open
Center, New York, New York: November 21 (more)
- River's
Edge, Cleveland, Ohio: May 1-2, 2009
These
workshops blend the rigors of science with the
deep wisdom of the world’s spiritual traditions.
Join IONS research staff Marilyn Mandala Schlitz,
PhD; Cassandra Vieten, PhD; and Tina Amorok, PsyD;
as they offer key insights from the decade-long
qualitative and quantitative research study of
how people transform their lives.
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Comedy
Corner |
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DEAR
SWAMI
by Swami Beyondananda
"Where
Swami Answers Your Questions - and You Will Question
His Answers" 
Dear
Swami:
People tell me all the time that I'm too negative,
and I tell them in no uncertain terms, "I
am NOT!" But lately, I've been getting
the feeling that maybe I do have a bit of
a negative edge, and this might be keeping
away some good stuff. On the other hand, I
don't want to seem like some naïve Pollyanna.
Is there some way I can still be negative
from time to time, yet get positive results?
Maybe I can be twice as negative. After all,
two negatives make a positive, right?
Mae Krong, Eden Prairie, Minnesota
Dear
Mae:
It's true a lot of spiritual teachers are
telling us not to be negative, and then there's
that "Just say NO to negativity!"
campaign those Positively Positive folks have
launched. But I say, if you positively must
be negative you might as well enjoy it. Go
ahead and be miserable. Whatever makes you
happy. Say YES to your negativity, because
if you can at least feel positive about your
negativity, that's a start in the right direction.
But don't overdo it. Sure, two negatives make
a positive-- but do you know what two positives
make? Something twice as positive as that
one positive you got by doubling your negativity.
Hey, do the math. Being positive is a plus
that adds to your life, while the negative
just takes away. The secret to happiness is
simple. All you have to do is subtract the
negative and multiply the positive and you'll
be basking in the aftermath.
©
Copyright 2008 by Steve Bhaerman. All rights
reserved. Swami Beyondananda -- and his hilarious
books and CDs -- can be found online at http://www.wakeuplaughing.com/
Ask
Swami your own question. Send it here.
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Monthly
Intention |
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September
Intention:
At
the beginning of each month, we encourage you
to take a quiet moment to link your intention
with people around the world.
This
month our intention is to see what has escaped
our attention by noticing which filter we typically
see through and choosing another.
September
Action:
In Improv Wisdom, Patricia
Ryan Madson writes, "The light in which something
is perceived will determine its value." We can
look at a person or event from three vantage points,
she observes:
- To
see what's wrong with it (the critical
method--commonly used in higher education).
Using this lens the self looms large.
- To
see it objectively (the scientific method).
Using this lens both the self as well
as others are meant to disappear.
- To
see the gift in it (the improviser's
method). With this lens others
loom large.
September
Questions for Reflection:
How do I look at
reality? Which lens am I using now? What has escaped
my attention?
If
you would like to offer an intention for next
month, please send it here.
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